The government officials who make sure contractors perform well have new training standards because of a push by the Obama administration to strengthen the acquisition workforce for better contract supervision.

The contracting officer’s representatives (CORs) have three levels of training that range from the simple contracts, such as supply contracts, to complex IT procurements, according to a memo from the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP) Administrator Dan Gordon released Sept. 6.

Agency officials must assign their CORs, which were formerly named Contracting Officer’s Technical Representatives (COTRs), to one of three levels.

Level I means a COR has eight hours of training, and no prior experience is required. This level of COR is generally appropriate for low-risk contracts and orders.

Level II requires 40 hours of training and one year of previous COR experience. This level of COR is generally appropriate managing projects for contract with moderate to high complexity, including both supply and service contracts.

Level III requires 60 hours of training and two years of previous COR experience. The COR must have experience working on contracts of moderate to high complexity that require significant acquisition investment.

Level III CORs are the most experienced CORs in an agency and should be assigned to the most complex and mission- critical contracts. They are often chosen to handle significant program management work.

CORs, who have been certified under the previous training program, likely have certain training that matches the new program’s curriculum. As agencies transition from the single-tiered certification to the new levels of training, officials can assign their current CORs as Level II CORs, although officials have options to place them at Level III certification if they have the expertise, according to the memo.

CORs must ensure their training data is properly entered into the Federal Acquisition Institute Training Application System (FAITAS) by February 15, 2012. FAITAS is coming out this fall.

The Federal Acquisition Institute plans to launch a resource website for the COR by Oct. 31.

The new certification program does not apply to the Defense Department CORs.

OFPP changed the term from “Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative,” which civilian agencies have used, to “Contracting Officer’s Representatives” to match the term used in the Federal Acquisition Regulation. CORs are often the first to recognize when a program or contract is not doing well, and, more and more, agencies assign them to manage high-value, complex contracts.

Gordon is pushing the training standards as part of his focus on the acquisition workforce and President Barack Obama’s procurement memo from 2009.

“Each member of the acquisition workforce plays a critical role, including Contracting Officer’s Representatives, who ensure that contractors meet the commitments of their contracts,” Gordon wrote.

We hear that the economy is improving, but we know there are still so many people looking for work. And although people hear that the federal hiring process has improved, many are still finding it a difficult journey. But there may be hope.

Under the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act, Department of Defense agencies including the Air Force Materiel Command, Defense Information Systems Agency and various entities with the Department of Navy have been using their “expedited-hiring authority” to fill critical acquisition positions.

I know what many of you are saying right now: “I don’t have a background in acquisition, contracting or procurement.”

But the acquisition process in the federal government is so complex that there is a need for people in a range of career fields. The list is long, but it includes auditing, contracting, life-cycle logistics, quality control and assurance, and science and technology management. So you may have a background that is a perfect fit.

Just by doing a quick search on USAJOBS under the acquisition career fields, I found agencies looking for people from biologist to computer scientist to telecommunications specialists.

In accordance with DAWIA, many of these positions require employees achieve a certain level of Acquisition Career Field Certification within two years of being hired. But don’t let that worry you. The government will send you to Defense Acquisition University for training and certification.

If you’re already a federal worker or government contractor with Level I, II or III acquisition certifications or part of the Acquisition Corps, that may expedite things: You would be deemed a highly qualified candidate.

When checking USAJOBS or job-search engines such as Indeed.com, do a keyword search for “expedited hiring authority” or “expedited” on USAJOBS. You can also search for “acquisition.” These positions are nationwide as well as worldwide, so some jobs will no doubt include interesting travel opportunities.

The key is to think outside the box and where your skills, experience, education and other qualifications might apply to the acquisition mission. Sharpen your resume to make your case.

Who knows — this may be your ticket to the fast lane of government employment.

Over 200 contracting counselors from across the country received training last week on how contract negotiations are conducted in the government marketplace. The two-hour workshop was conducted by representatives of The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech.

The March 24th interactive training session, entitled “Contracting and Negotiation Skills,” was led by The Academy’s project manager Rhonda Lynch. The training was conducted as a part of the spring conference of the Association of Procurement Technical Assistance Centers (APTAC), held this year in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

The presentation consisted of an excerpt from the 10-day Defense Acquisition University (DAU) course known as CON 120 – Mission-Focused Contracting. Mission-Focused Contracting is the capstone course for Level I contracting professionals, engaging participants in the entire acquisition process. The “Contracting and Negotiation Skills” training excerpt covers conducting actual negotiations in a post-award contracting scenario.

APTAC is a national trade organization representing the 93 procurement technical assistance centers that operate across the country. These centers help local businesses compete successfully in the government marketplace. PTACs are the bridge between buyer and supplier, bringing to bear their knowledge of both government contracting and the capabilities of contractors to maximize fast, reliable service to our government with better quality and at lower costs.

The major objective of today’s workshop, states Ms. Lynch, is to help APTAC’s counseling professionals be “better prepared to advise their business clients on how to develop strategies for their contract negotiations with government agencies.”

She explained that negotiations skills are essential to reaching success in the government marketplace as well as being helpful in everyday life. “Each of us engages in negotiations practically every day of our lives — whether we realize it or not. If we happen to engage in win-win strategies, we succeed. The problem is, we sometimes don’t use good negotiation techniques so the outcome too often is win-lose.”

Attendees at The Academy’s workshop participated in mock contract negotiations, patterned after real government negotiations. Some of the participants played the role of either government negotiators or as members of a contractor’s negotiation team. Others in attendance played the role of observers who later analyzed and reported on the negotiations techniques they witnessed.

The full CON 120 course, taught on the Atlanta campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology, carries with it 8.8 Continuous Education Units and 88 Continuous Learning Points, both granted by DAU. In addition, Georgia Tech grants 6.65 Continous Education Units for the CON 120 class. The Academy is an official DAU equivalency training provider.

Rhonda Lynch, project manager for The Academy, points out that Mission-Focused Contracting is the capstone course for Level I federal contracting professionals as well as all non-contracting personnel who play a role in the acquisition process. “The beauty of this class is that it is applicable to both government and industry purchasing,” states Ms. Lynch. “This course engages the participant in the entire acquisition process, from meeting with the customer to completing the contract closeout process. Contracting officials and members of the contracting community alike will have the unique opportunity in this class to sit side-by-side to learn how the government acquisition process works.”

The class encourages interactive participation through problem-solving and negotiation exercises.

The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech is an approved equivalency training provider to the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) and provides continuing education training to Acquisition and Government Contracting professionals as well as to business professionals working for government contractors or pursuing opportunities in federal contracting.

On October 27, 2010, The Contracting Education Academy at Georgia Tech was recognized by the Defense Acquisition University (DAU) as an official equivalency provider of DAU course work.

This is especially significant for at least two reasons. Since Defense Department acquisition personnel must successfully complete DAU classes, they may now attend The Academy’s classes to satisfy these annual requirements. In addition, The Academy’s DAU-equivalent classes satisfy both the FAC-C and DAWIA certification programs which means contracting officials from any federal agency will receive credit toward their training requirements.

The Federal Acquisition Certification in Contracting Program (FAC-C) establishes education, experience, and training standards for contracting professionals in all civilian agencies. FAC-C certifications are mutually accepted among all civilian agencies as documentation of accomplishment of these standards.

The Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) establishes a very similar, but not identical, program for the Department of Defense (DoD). Civilian agencies may accept DAWIA certification as equivalent to FAC-C certification.

In addition to DAU, FAC-C and DAWIA certifications, continuing education units (CEUs) are granted with each successfully attended class presented by The Academy.

The Academy and EI² are co-located in the heart of Georgia Tech’s Technology Square, directly across the street from the world-class Global Learning Center, home to Georgia Tech’s Distance Learning & Professional Education, three-time award winner in 2010 from the University Professional & Continuing Education Association.